Is Recycling Still Worth It Anymore in 2021? | One Small Step

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The news keeps telling us that our recycling system isn’t working - and even One Small Step host Lucy Biggers is starting to have her doubts. So we asked the experts: Is recycling still worth it?
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Is recycling really beyond hope? And what's with the plastic numbers at the bottom of our bottles - how do we get them straight?
We talk to several experts with different perspectives on our recycling system: Kristy Drutman of @browngirl_green; Cole Rosengren, a senior editor for Waste Dive; and Judith Enck, the founder of Beyond Plastics.
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27 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 611

@cassandraherrera4631 3 года назад

I feel like we need to go back to old days when soda pop was in glass and u would bring the bottles back to the store and the soda companies would reuse them. Same for the milk companies. I know Strauss milk company does this, that's what I buy

@kristinesharp6286 3 года назад

And packaged in cardboard to carry the heavy glass bottles. The do this with beer still.

@martinw.8572 3 года назад

@@kristinesharp6286 Actually, here in Germany, Plastic crates work great and have long lifespans for that purpose. Better have a reusable item made from (recyclable #2 or #5, which seems to be no problem for pretty much any recycling company here as long as it is clean) hard plastic than one from single-use cardboard.

@anna-lenameijer9942 3 года назад

The glass bottle was stopped in the 80's by the plastic lobby. Very stupid! See where it got us: 5 gigantic plastic garbage patches in the oceans. Everybody suffers: animals, fish, human, the air, the oceans. Did I forget anybody? Recycling isn't more complicated than returning a read book to the library: take out of the system what you need. When you're done and don't need it anymore, put it back into the system and restore it for another round.

@cryingalone7572 3 года назад

What we do on norway. And we get money back for each bottle so we have 1 more reason to return the waste

@kristinesharp6286 3 года назад

@@cryingalone7572 many states have done that for certain kinds of bottles since the 70’s. Usually pop cans and glass bottles. But you pay a premium when you buy it.

@easygrowinggarden 3 года назад

Can we stop only addressing the plastic issue at the consumer level and start addressing it at the manufacture/producer level, when are we going to hold them accountable?

@rickytorres9089 3 года назад

As my above comment I am concerned about this very much as I want to put my money where my mouth is. But I am struggling to find Robo Advisories whose let me do this without stupid min. amounts and/or fixated charges to negate micro investments to these companies who DO care about this sort of things.

@TheNinja47 3 года назад

@juleous camper why is it that the responsibility is always on the consumers and never on the greedy capitalists enabling it?

@lynnhettrick7588 3 года назад

YES! It needs to be the manufacturers' responsibility.

@hungryjack8032 3 года назад

@@lynnhettrick7588 Consumers demanded cheaper prices and manufacturers answered with plastic containers. Consumers need to demand paper, metal, glass containers from the manufacturers. This of course will cost more and prices will go up to cover it.

@nzuckman 3 года назад

@@hungryjack8032 Stop acting like manufacturers have no choice whatsoever in what packaging they use. They don't do what consumers want, they do what makes money without thought or care for the consequences of their choices.

@spencerharder7025 3 года назад

My town stopped recycling glass and that’s when I really started questioning the system.

@pennyoflaherty1345 3 года назад

“The Love of Money is the Root of All Evil !! “ TRULY PRO ACTIVENESS IS BETTER THAN LATE RE ACTION. DO THE BIG-WIGS HAVE TO START EATING PLASTIC SEAFOOD .....?....BEFORE THEY WAKE UP. Money Won’t always BUY HEALTH !

@laserbrain7774 3 года назад

No ones kid is going to get cancer because you threw some glass in the ocean or a landfill. When your plastic makes it to the ocean, someones kid (maybe one not born yet) is on the way to an ignominious cancer death

@Twoplywatson 3 года назад

@@laserbrain7774 but glass is 100% recyclable. less need to mine more raw materials.

@dragondancer1814 3 года назад

My town stopped recycling glass several years ago and their suggestion was “buy the same items packaged in glass or aluminum.” Fine in theory, but look at how many items at the grocery store are packaged in glass that CANNOT be packaged in plastic or aluminum-salsa, relish, pickles, olives, maraschino cherries, certain vinegars, some medicines, jams, jellies, hot sauces, sauces, liquor, wine, yeast for baking-the list goes on. Not to mention that glass can be recycled virtually indefinitely, while plastic has a finite number of recyclings and it cannot be remade into the same thing. WTAF are these idiots thinking?!

@JiffyJames85 3 года назад

@@Twoplywatson Yes and no. There is a cost to mining quartz (and additives live aluminum), and a cost to processing them. However, these are well established processes. Recycling glass also has large costs associated. It takes more energy (depending on system used) to clean and reprocess glass than it does to mine and refine quartz in man scenarios. Also, glass is largely innert in its environmental impact, unlike plastics and other substances. I actually stopped recycling glass before my recycling center stopped taking it due to several environmental impact studies. Plastics definitely need to be recycled (properly). And I'm still on the fence with paper (more regulation on paper sources may have a more positive environmental impact). Glass seems to cost more money and energy to recycle than it does to just process new.

@99leadpencils 3 года назад

Biggest learning for me was that ONLY half of US households have access to curbside recycling! 😱 Considering about 17% of the US lives in rural areas, there are still 20-33% of American suburbs/cities that could still reasonably have better access to recycling.

@Throughthelurkingglass 3 года назад

And when you do recycle it, it usually goes right in the trash anyway

@sandeec6381 3 года назад

Our HOA took our recycling bins away. We are only allowed to have trash cans. Totally made me mad.

@1ducttapeproduction 3 года назад

Rural communities have a trash and recycling drop off that you take your stuff to. It's 1. Cheaper and 2. Cost efficient on the rural towns. Making everyone get curbside pickup, isn't the best option. You'd also lose out on the benefits like a wider selection for dumping. For instance, in the south, they have a spot to dispose of cooking oil or large furniture.

@KM-pm6qe 3 года назад

@@sandeec6381 do you vote in the HOA? Go talk to your neighbors!

@maggiebarry9117 3 года назад

Wow. Haters gonna hate, I guess. I have lived in the southern US for nearly my entire life. I'm watching this because I care about the environment. Regionism appears to be alive and well.

@cltinturkey 3 года назад

Excellent video and wake-up call. Three things I'd like to see immediately: incentives to open and promote bulk purchase stores (you bring and refill your container), stiff monetary penalties to companies to discourage production of plastics greater than 1 or 2, and requirements for companies to take back their products for responsible recycling, like computers, cell phones, appliances, and large items. This has been in place in Europe for 30+ years, and it's working.

@gunstrokethecybertronian8659 3 года назад

Yeah I mean when I was a kid I felt like recycling was a way of helping our homes among other things that made me feel like caring for the environment. But all that changed for me today when I never knew the many various amounts of plastic nor how they were dealt with.

@KM-pm6qe 3 года назад

@Joseph Norm so true. you should put this as a main comment and not only as a reply!

@ber1779 3 года назад

@Joseph Norm Oil companies and politics play a part of why plastics are still used. If oil is not used, oil produces (sellers) won’t have as much power. Oil companies, and corruption, want to keep things how they are.

@vuskeedoo 3 года назад

The companies producing the trash need to use sustainable material. It all begins with the corporations.

@ryancruz1876 3 года назад

Who’s buying the’s corporations things though? No one is forcing people to buy things from corporations.

@KM-pm6qe 3 года назад

@@ryancruz1876 actually I’d disagree about that. If there’s no good alternative, it’s not much different from being forced, is it?

@addl7340 3 года назад

They shouldn't be produced in the first place

@Dog.soldier1950 3 года назад

Your producing the trash my friend, we all are

@addl7340 3 года назад

@@Dog.soldier1950 I'm not digging up crude oil and smelting it into millions of tons of nature killer every year mush, exxon, BP, furmosa, the list goes on, start at the source not the tail

@hakunamatata1352 3 года назад

*Please make an episode on batteries* and landfills. We can maybe highlight products that don't need them (mechanical scales, chorded small house appliances vs battery driven ones). Having a battery really does affect the service life of a product because they wear out so quickly and are either expensive or hard to replace (or both!)

@grayonthewater 3 года назад

She posted ok Instagram about batteries

@MrSharkbay 3 года назад

Batteries are actually really profitable to recycle!

@hakunamatata1352 3 года назад

@@MrSharkbay Never heard that. I just knew even big countries like Australia don't collect them for recycling. If they're not recycled (or at least collected for 'safe' storage) they will seep into our groundwater and pollute our grandchildren's drinking water (or maybe even ours)

@melusine826 3 года назад

One way is Move UP the zero waste hierarchy: redesign, rethink, repurpose etc. By applying systems thinking, circular and doughnut economics principles(different business models) etc before even think about recycling we can hope to create a new system. And "waste to energy" is only half a step from landfill!

@KM-pm6qe 3 года назад

“Waste to energy” is arguably worse than landfill!

@satyabobby1 3 года назад

One simple solution: Start using reusables (that are not made of plastics)

@ThomasBomb45 3 года назад

Even a reusable item made of plastic is better than lots ot single use plastics. But reusable plastics should be seen as a compromise

@GreenDolphinProject 3 года назад

Agreed. We are trying to get Dispatch Goods in Chicago.

@DAndyLord 3 года назад

@@ThomasBomb45 Plastic is often the lowest carbon-cost material for reusable products. Plastic trash should be landfilled. Old landfills are environmental nightmares, but a modern engineered landfill is an environmentally responsible choice. Plastic pollution needs to stay out of the water. Paper rarely makes environmental sense to recycle, plastic occasionally makes sense to recycle, glass often makes sense to recycle, metal normally makes sense to recycle.

@Christoff070 3 года назад

Another simple solution: change your diet, buy only what you need at the time that you need it, and keep processed foods and their packaging to minimum

@CatEyedGoddess 3 года назад

Yes! Yes! The problem is ppl are so use to just going to the store or making a quick run and don’t think, “Oh, let me get my reusable whatever.” They just go in without thinking about it. We just need to stop making it. But you already know how that’s going to go.

@ryanlowe5391 3 года назад

Great video. The most important thing is just to try buy as little as you can, even if it's just a little bit less than usual!

@rickytorres9089 3 года назад

That and reusing is surprisingly possible if you just spend 5 minutes thinking sometimes! Those Whole Foods' Sushi bottom trays makes EXCELLENT saucers for plants and the cheapest option even!

@roymakescomics 3 года назад

Also, have fewer kids per household. It's totally irresponsible to have more than one child.. I think Sagan even wrote about that 40 years ago.

@rickytorres9089 3 года назад

@@roymakescomics That is rude and disrespectful so your saying we should let every as you puts it "excess" kid rots on the streets like a lost pet? I am sick just thinking about it. :(

@J.5.M. 3 года назад

I always carry a reusable water bottle or thermos with me and a little case for cutlery. That way when I eat take-out I don't need any plastic cutlery. One small step!

@jaywyse7150 2 года назад

@@roymakescomics terrible idea.

@laMoria 3 года назад

Recycling means putting an item back into the cycle of use. It can be broken into raw materials or reused for something else. The problem is our packages are hardly reusable.

@hungryjack8032 3 года назад

All plastic is very recyclable. It's the cost that prevents it from taking place. It is cheaper to make more plastic from oil than from recycled plastic. Then you have paper board coated with foil like Pringles can or coated with wax like most frozen food boxes that make it impossible to separate at a reasonable cost.

@robmaule4025 3 года назад

"Instead of regulating companies to use more sustainable materials our federal government failed to act..." Most important line in this video.

@dennyshoopman4397 Год назад

What hasn't our federal government failed at?

@CocoQTpie4u 3 года назад

In Japan their recycling is excellent. Why in America can't we adopt the exact same model?!

@nonconsensualopinion 3 года назад

Because doing something right is expensive and we in the US prefer to maximize profit margins at all costs.

@50jakecs 3 года назад

@@nonconsensualopinion Well, expensive in the short-term is how the U.S. measures things. We don't think how much more expensive it is in the long-term - clean-up costs, increased health problems, environmental damage, pollution, etc.

@Pikkabuu 2 года назад

Because Americans cannot be humble and listen to others. They have to invent things themselves.

@smay745 3 года назад

I remember when I was a kid (in the 80s) that plastic grocery bags were marketed as the responsible thing to get because it meant trees weren’t cut down. I’m curious what the impact would be if single use plastic containers went back to single use paper/cardboard

@kristinesharp6286 3 года назад

Product would leak being unhealthy. Loss of product. You can fit dozens of plastic bags into a Kleenex box. You can not fit dozens of paper bags into a Kleenex box. The laundry detergent in a box sometimes leaked out and mass wise much more material than the plastic bottle that didn’t leak it all over your ground beef and apples. Ick. Plastic meant things broke less wasting product, money and causing injury. Paper was not strong enough and it was no fun when the paper bag, perhaps double bag, failed and everything landed in the ground. Then how to finish bringing it home? I think not having newspapers anymore brilliant. But now we have tons of boxes from delivery. Plastic bags also helpful for grocery store workers during pandemic. I can’t use my reusable bags anymore. If the people who are wanting the problem solved spent their energy making the factory to process all the stuff that is too expensive to recycle instead of trying to convince people to make the government make a business deal with it the problem would not be a problem anymore. Never should have been sent on ship abroad. Just asking for a mess in the water. I think paper and cardboard recycling is the thing to focus on. Burn or bury the rest. Schools have already indoctrinated the kids to use water bottles. The redesigning packaging has led to waste of product and frustration.

@thelanittaja4765 3 года назад

In the case of single use grocery bags, paper bag causes about 4 times more CO2 (equivalent) emissions than plastic bag. Paper bags also have a bigger water footprint, but that's not really an issue where I live. While paper bag has bigger carbon and water footprint (and most likely requires more land as the trees need to grow somewhere), it uses renewable resources. Plastic bags may seem better if you only consider carbon and water footprints, but it has other impacts, such as littering, micro plastics, oil spills etc. At the end of the day, multi use bag is the best option. The best bag for groceries is the one you already have, but if you must get a new one, I'd recommend getting a plastic bag that is convenient to use (doesn't tip over when full, fits into your pocket when empty, looks good enough, in general being better and/or more convenient than a single use bag). It's hard to compare plastic to paper since they impact the environment in different ways, but using the bag you already own is usually the best option.

@kristinesharp6286 3 года назад

@@thelanittaja4765 technically a cotton bag is worse. Fertilizer for growing the cotton and the processing. You just would need to use the bag 1000 times and no one will use a canvas cotton bag more than 1000 times. I personally care nothing about CO2. It’s data we are guessing at. I’m more concerned about plastic bags flying in the wind and getting caught on this and that. I will try and bring plastic bags to the store to recycle. And use canvas when they are letting people do that again. The earth will be fine, it’s constantly recycling itself. Rock cycle, water cycle, jet stream, plates moving, magma rising.

@doraspoljar697 3 года назад

@@kristinesharp6286 what about linen and hemp fabrics?

@kristinesharp6286 3 года назад

@@doraspoljar697 I only read about cotton in comparison to paper and plastic. Growing thing usually need fertilizer. There is a reason cattle are worse than cars. The thing is the only thing that matters is waste.

@dickersondesigns3596 3 года назад

Thanks for this video, you're always so informative! I would like to see legislation that forces companies who manufacture plastic packaging to pay per weight of their plastic production for their recycling. I have a good feeling that once the government tells them they have to pay for creating waste that our tax dollars in our towns pay to pick up, he might be a little bit more responsible about their production.

@kristinesharp6286 3 года назад

Garbage is a municipal matter.

@rosshoyt2030 3 года назад

Great point about plastic recycling being a different beast than glass and paper. Im going to try to reduce plastic consumption

@TahtahmesDiary 3 года назад

Exactly that's what I've been doing lately. Just trying to avoid plastic. Glass jars at least I can reuse!

@lynnhettrick7588 3 года назад

I've been trying to do this for the last 2-3 years. It's very hard. Especially things like shampoo. CleanCult has some cleaning supplies that don't contain plastic. The pandemic really messed things up for a while. My state banned single use plastic bags 6 months before the pandemic but then halted that for several months. Now it's okay to use reusable bags again.

@acevedeyt9551 3 года назад

I love these videos but sometimes I won’t watch them because I get mad and stressed about these topics easily. I’m from Mexico and right now I’m conducting an investigation about recycling in my hometown, as curbside recycling is extremely uncommon here. I’ve been recycling for over 2 years now, and even tho prices are lowering, the places I go start to accept more materials, including plastics 4 and 5. Love your videos!

@srock1321 3 года назад

I totally agree that legislation has to be used to help, because I feel there is a lot of pressure on consumers and it is not right. Big corporations need to give us better choices, use less or no plastic. I try to buy bulk and bring my own containers, but it’s not always an option. I buy a lot of nuts and they are in plastic bags which are made from this wonky plastic that I don’t think can be recycled. The same with frozen fruit and veggies. Yes I try to buy fresh, but it’s not always readily available. We have to do better.

@falsificationism 3 года назад

Lucy is such a great presenter--I've been confused by plastic for so long. This, and the film Seaspiracy have really opened my eyes.

@wendilandkammer8368 3 года назад

If the plastic is seen as raw material what would that change? If shredded plastic and shredded tires are mixed together could that be used to pave roads? If it adds flexability to roads wouldn't that reduce the wear and tear and reduce how often they need to be repaired? Can shredded plastic be used in 3-d printing? Can shredded plastic be used as insulation? What would happen if there was an option to take plastic bottles to the store and refill them with either more of what was in them or another consumable? That would give them more than one use. Can plastic be coated with UV protective paint so it could be used as roofing material? These are just a few thoughts.

@javierdrake1803 3 года назад

You have an awesome mind

@wendilandkammer8368 3 года назад

@@javierdrake1803 thank you. Your most kind.

@lod2658 3 года назад

Wow. Such great ideas! If any of these are possible it would help so much.

@Guvisha 3 года назад

This was so necessary to be told! Recycling doesn’t work as it is, and it needs to change. I hope the common consumer can think about it the next time that consumes something plastic, I know I will.

@ThomasBomb45 3 года назад

The responsibility should not be on the consumer. The responsibility needs to be on the industry that creates all this waste. Consumer recycling was part of a campaign by the plastic industry to shift the blame from them to the general public

@ravigopinathan2835 3 года назад

@@ThomasBomb45 both are true. Consumer and the corporations have to do better. Government regulation of corporations is necessary, but plastic recycling even in these cases isn't economical and it uses lots of energy to melt and recycle, which inevitably causes pollution even if no ghg. Regarding consumers, if consumers buy less plastic or fly less, it will lower demand for those products/ that service. However, there has to be some way for a consumer to go zero waste, like by buying ingredients in reusable bags instead of packaged goods. This only works if things are sold in bulk. A lot of times the left wants to say that the individual/consumer has almost no agency to change things but if more consumers change buying habits they can have some agency to change what companies sell, or lower demand for certain goods.

@ThomasBomb45 3 года назад

@@ravigopinathan2835 yeah i agree with you for the most part. Existing plastic products are hard to recycle and produce lower quality materials so it's impossible to keep recycling plastic forever. As opposed to metals which can effectively be recycled effectively. The solution to this problem is eliminate plastics from the supply chain entirely, and the consumer can't do that themselves if they aren't given the option as you mentioned. That's why we need to put pressure on business to make the necessary changes. Additionally, consumers can't change all the plastic waste created in the middle of the stream. Consider the plastic wrap around pallet deliveries in grocery stores

@ThomasBomb45 3 года назад

@Mike F The most power we have as consumers is by influencing local, state, and federal regulations. Period. Unless you're upper middle class and above, then maybe you can afford to pay for the "green premium"

@ThomasBomb45 3 года назад

@Mike F I mean 6 beers a day is bad for you regardless of the recycling cost, lol. But metal is actually a much better material in terms of sustainability as it can be recycled indefinitely. Though if you want to be sustainable maybe you want to use kegs, since they are reusable which uses less energy than recycling. I'm all for encouraging people to make those things at home, but keep in mind that time isn't free. If i save $5 but spend an hour making something myself, well that's probably not smart unless i have a lot of free time

@curitol5342 3 года назад

Your work in all these informative videos are just GOLD, THANKS!

@melvasaiel 3 года назад

My town recycling system stopped accepting glass containers, because glass increases the weight of the recycling that the town has to pay to get rid of....apparently. We're just supposed to put glass in with regular garbage.

@dragondancer1814 3 года назад

Same with our town-they discontinued glass recycling several years ago despite the fact that glass can be recycled almost indefinitely. Their suggestion? Buy more items in plastic or metal. Fine and dandy in theory, but how many foods/liquids in glass jars or bottles CANNOT be bought in plastic? Relish, salsa, certain vinegars, liquor, certain beers, wine, some medications or antiseptics, maraschino cherries, jams, jellies, other fruit preserves, pickles...the list goes on. And like I said, glass can be recycled repeatedly, whereas plastic has a finite number of times and ways it can be recycled. IDIOTS!

@mjc0961 3 года назад

@@dragondancer1814 Yeah, we need more stuff in glass, not less. I want to buy less plastic but I find a lot of foods and liquids cannot be bought in glass, only plastic.

@davidkoenig8592 3 года назад

Great video. My area (east of Atlanta, GA) the curbside recycling has stopped taking glass about a year ago. We can still cart it to a local recycling center into the different colored glass bins. The sad truth is that most industry/businesses do not recycle even the basics and they produce the most waste of all. Kinda negates the whole process on the consumer side. I still recycle the best I can, but my enthusiasm for it is definitely less than years ago.

@vt96 3 года назад

1.Reuse 2. Raise plastic material price by taxing manufacturers (refineries) similar to what we did to tobacco. Plastic supply chain being expensive will make other substitutes competitive

@carochan86 3 года назад

What about the fact plastic is a byproduct of oil.. What we really need to do is reduce oil use and use other forms.

@jutau 3 года назад

Those food takeout containers on 5 and 6 are one use by most people. So it's still a big issue. Same with those solo cups.

@anacapritropics1913 3 года назад

What about the clear solo cups with *1* on them?

@jutau 3 года назад

@@anacapritropics1913 How many can actually get recycled when they get all types of food stains and oils after use? Many plastics get trashed because of contaminants. This is relying on people separating them and washing them before placing it in the recycle bin. People in general are fairly lazy when they have to sort their trash.

@anacapritropics1913 3 года назад

@@jutau Gotcha.

@yamaldawadad7324 3 года назад

@@jutau always wash before recycling, I do.

@grayeaglej 3 года назад

Here on the farm we compost and recycle as much as we can ourselves, using those materials to repair/build things we need. Food containers like tin cans and plastic bottles are especially useful.

@vash01000100 3 года назад

Not using plastic is a good first step, but realistically what will stop companies from using plastic is cost. When big oil starts to die, it's byproduct (plastic) becomes more and more expensive. When it's too expensive, glass and other more recyclable materials will return.

@knabhishek 3 года назад

It was Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Recycle was the last option not the first one!!

@AmaratMamu 3 года назад

Bravo! We need more people like you! Thank you, I have learned a lot on this topic that have been a concern to me for years!!

@PRDreams 3 года назад

Stop buying 3-7 plastics. Buy reusables instead. Reach out to brands you love (incl. Take-out restaurants you enjoy) and ask for them to change to reusable containers or to switch to paper, cardboard boxes, glass, or aluminums, and plastic 1 and 2 which are all recyclable within the USA. 7 billion people can change the industry if we push for change.

@ryancruz1876 3 года назад

Stop buying so much in general!

@marie-andreehould9859 3 года назад

Always so helpful and informative! Thanks again for a great video.

@ianuragaggarwal Год назад

Salute to those who are doing their bit to heal mother planet.

@nikilragav 3 года назад

Thanks for the video. I would love to see a follow up on compostables and compostable plastics like the cups used at blaze pizza. I think composting is a much more viable long-term solution (assuming it actually works) because no sorting is required, and there's little need to worry about contaminants, unlike recycling

@jaywyse7150 2 года назад

I am cosmically overwhelmed by all of this and everything else we can't fix.

@bobbygreenthumb146 3 года назад

Thank you so much for this video! I learned so much and many of my questions were answered. Everything was very well presented and informative. I will definitely subscribe to your channel! 👍🏼

@IanCunningham92 3 года назад

I asked someone about recycling at my university and they said the numbers don't mean anything when it comes to whether they can be recycled. He said that's because it's more complicated than what kind of plastic it's made out of, but also the process through which it was manufactured. Clearly there needs to be simpler standard that normal people can actually understand.

@drwex 3 года назад

The core problem I see is that recycling is the tail of the dog. Years ago I worked on a campaign to promote "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" with the goal of lessening waste, encouraging reuse wherever possible, and only recycling as a last resort. You mentioned expansion of a bottle/can deposit, which is a small step in encouraging reuse. That's also useful and necessary. But the really important steps need to address reduction. Removing excess packaging, discouraging unnecessary wrapping of individual items and so on. There are always going to be cases like medical or dental supplies where individual wrapping is an important safety measure. But there's really no reason why some teabags should come in individual plastic wrap, and then the box is also wrapped in plastic and then sold in a set of three boxes where the set is again wrapped in plastic. Packaging standards are hard to set, so consumer awareness and smart choices can have an impact. Bottom line: yes, we need to fix a broken recycling system. But that has to be a last step, where the first step is to stop material entering the recycle stream at all.

@Janotes 3 года назад

My favorites are the toothpaste in a tube in a box. Bar soap in some cases shrink wrapped in a box, I guess its For the convenience of placing the items on store shelves..

@hungryjack8032 3 года назад

Single serve snacks and other food items that have become the norm at the grocery stores are a problem. People are lazy and can't be bothered to grab a portion of cheese, nuts, and fruit so companies have done it for them.

@mjc0961 3 года назад

10:53 - Incorrect. Corporations have to stop making and selling so much plastic. I'm sick of this "blame the end user" mentality when the end user often can't do anything. Go after the corporations, they're the ones responsible for this and they're the ones who need to end it. 11:56 - Now she's making sense.

@kevindexterpattee 3 года назад

Great video. So many of these types of videos on recycling and the environment are hard to watch and super depressing. Thanks for educating AND entertaining us:)

@alansolomon5527 3 года назад

I am interested in a few things you mentioned in this video. They definitely caught my attention. You did a great job providing pertinent information and getting it out to the public. I am passionate about fixing our recycling problem along with helping our environment, our planet, supporting wildlife and stopping climate change. This video has given me some suggestions and ideas to help support recycling in the future. Thank you.

@daverobau9656 3 года назад

Great video. Excellent job researching the issue, Lucy. You nailed it!

@burprobrox9134 3 года назад

I had quit recycling plastic years ago. Looks like I should restart 1 and 2. Thanks!

@suzanneb6608 3 года назад

I recently learned that our region takes our recyclables straight to the landfill. The company that handled these items went bankrupt a few years ago. The recycling bins are still out but the city just takes them straight to the landfill.

@jaysoreal9292 3 года назад

I'm going to stop buying plastics as much as possible

@HowToChangeName 3 года назад

Actually you forgot the part that that plastic class number isn't include certain parts like bottle cap and label so you must scrap and separate that part to its class (if you know their class). In China they can do that without problem due to cheap labor to separate them manually, otherwise it'll taints entire recycle system.

@hungryjack8032 3 года назад

@@maracle6 they stopped using the rubber seal on inside. Now caps can be recycled. Metal caps from glass bottles go with cans as the rubber liner melts out when cans are melted.

@soILLitsADVISED 2 года назад

The key is in creating more intentional multi use plastics. That way what we begin to produce, is no longer 70% incompatible with our recycling systems

@stevenabel1232 3 года назад

Great video. Part of the solution can be to stop buying plastics that are not recyclable, but sometimes that is not even an option. Hate to see regulation as the only way out, but perhaps that is what it will take. Consumption versus Conservation (wise use) is part of the equation. Thank you for making this, helpful education.

@mrav8r 3 года назад

Lucy this is an excellent video. I would like to See Loop store work with Amazon so that we can purchase items on Amazon and use loop packaging solutions.

@matthewleconey9813 3 года назад

I haven't heard of Loop before, but they seem awesome! It's exactly the solution I've been thinking of for a long time now. Industries needs a solution like Loop in a universal durable and reusable container system. The efficiency at it's current scale is probably low since transportation inefficiency may degrade a lot of its environmental benefits. If it was adopted widescale for all sorts of goods, we'd be on to a packaging system that actually worked. I'm impressed by the companies that have already partnered with Loop, and it gives me hope that industries are giving these solutions serious thought. Working with Amazon to create reusable packaging sounds like a brilliant idea and something Amazon would not be opposed to given other efforts they've made in lower packaging products.

@cauthoncrazy 3 года назад

Bezos doesn't need any more of our money.

@KM-pm6qe 3 года назад

Loop-like solutions will never become industry standard until the government requires it.

@7utubeuser7 2 года назад

This post should have an edit concerning plastic 4, LDPE. This is most plastic shopping (and similar) bags in this country. Clean bags of this plastic are recycled through drop-off locations at many grocery and bid box stores. This may not be as convenient as curbside recycling programs, but we're all in it together. LDPE material is used to make items such "plastic" wood for deck, benches etc.

@gracekellman8049 3 года назад

This is a fantastic video. Sent it to like 10 people lol.

@NAConen 3 года назад

I typed it out in letter format and mailed it to 307 colleagues

@personwhosreal811 3 года назад

We need to put more pressure on our representatives to take care of our own trash.

@MilnaAlen 3 года назад

It's so weird that you have just one bin for all recyclables? In Finland most places have separate bins for paper, cardboard, plastic, metal and glass, plus bins for compost and general waste.

@calihiker7980 3 года назад

This was a very good video. I had been wondering about what goes where

@TheDeadbone1961 2 года назад

Thank you for the video, great information!

@stellazhou9061 2 года назад

Wow! I always wondered what the numbers where for.

@tomasolsson8666 3 года назад

One thing that is normal in Sweden and Norway, that I think is weird that other countries don't adopt is that we pay a pledge on our softdrinks, It´s like 0,24 USD per container. And when we return to the containers to the supermarket we will get the pledge money back. I think it is a excellent way to encourage people to recycle better. And it gets easier for our waste handling system to handle the countries household waste, because it is not as mixed.

@bledsoetx 3 года назад

The US used that system effectively for decades . . . . before the plastics industry ruined the glass bottle business. Once plastics appeared, the deposit system went away. Some states have restarted the system for plastic bottles, but it's piecemeal, not uniform, etc. so it's highly ineffective.

@TheSekaf 3 года назад

In the era of capitalism I would like to see that the governments around the world do not have to deal with our trash. In my opinion, the producers themselves should deal with it. Then they would hopefully rethink the whole issue with pollution. And if not, governments should apply worldwide ban on single-use items.

@GreenDolphinProject 3 года назад

That is the hope and dream! Putting responsibility on the manufacturers!

@TheSekaf 3 года назад

@@jesse_slaughter yeah, that's just some silly politics. However, I think that even Coca Cola would start to rethink their main business paths, if people (their customers) decide that they won't buy anything else except glass, reusable or compostable bottles.

@TheSekaf 3 года назад

@@GreenDolphinProject I hope we will reach that dream one day soon :)

@theworldneedsmorehippies 3 года назад

HA! You think that the capitalist corporations that produce these single-use totally irresponsible plastics will make any change without the incentive from governments? Then you are absolutely wrong. It has to start with us, the civilians, asking the government to create restrictions and responsible laws so these companies have to change their ways.

@TheSekaf 3 года назад

@@theworldneedsmorehippies Like you said - it has to start with us. Governments can be great friends with those companies, but if we decide to avoid their products, they will surely rethink their business path.

@primeronumero9336 2 года назад

Good info many thanks 😊

@tommccutchan3508 3 года назад

My town recently dropped their entire recycling program. They dropped all plastic recycling the year before and dropped glass recycling a long time ago.

@TinaPastore 3 года назад

Great job, Lucy!

@Cheste969 2 года назад

Excellent video. Thanks for doing your part to save our earth.

@ianuragaggarwal Год назад

Great channel! Serious thought given to this cause.

@guillermojarne2803 3 года назад

Great video!

@blakebro1 Год назад

Great videos, Lucy and the team! They are so inspiring and eye-opening!

@angiericouard792 3 года назад

I’m going to have to start checking my numbers. I mostly have paper, aluminum and bring my glass to a local place that recycles for sandbags and such. I’ve been cutting plastics as much as possible where I can already.

@geraldine3058 3 года назад

Your town’s website might have a section specifically for recycling. Mine does which showed me I could recycle textiles or fabrics

@hungryjack8032 3 года назад

St.Vincent DePaul takes all textiles in my town, even the damaged and soiled ones. They get recycled and turned into car insulation and other like products.

@Kirtahl 2 года назад

I live in the country in texas. When I lived in the city, I recycled. I cannot anymore because there is no pickup or center near me.

@Morbidt123 3 года назад

you should also mention mixes of recycleable materials, and how it renders recycling them impossible (like the famous example of the pringles can, where it's made out of paper and aluminum, which are both seperately recycleable but when put together like that it's unrecycleable)

@FreeWorldSpirit313 3 года назад

Check out liquid death. It's a water company that are in aluminum cans instead of plastic bottles. But what really cool is you can buy prepaid shipping labels and they encourage you to send your bottles back to Pepsi and Coco cola companies.

@MelindaGreen 3 года назад

I'd love to see deposits on plastic containers like we do for glass, and require the manufacturers to take them back and recycle them. That will make them immediately switch to plastics 1 & 2.

@sentisenlajamir1019 2 года назад

Good documentation.

@andydutton455 3 года назад

great info

@mybusylife2158 3 года назад

We have dramatically reduced the amount of plastic trash we produce over the last year. Went from three bags in two weeks for a two people, one cat household to one bag every two weeks and we are still in the process of reducing. It's possible to tremendously reduce your plastic consumption without making uncomfortable lifestyle changes. I always tell people just to ease into it. The more you do it, the easier it gets. And the goal is not to produce no waste at all. The goal is to do better. We don't need 7 billion people to live a perfect zero waste lifestyle. We need 7 billion people who do better. Some can do more than others and that's fine. Just try implementing small changes one by one and you will quickly see a ripple effect.

@seansmith3058 3 года назад

Good program. I'd like to see some follow-up on the industries opposing this bill and ones like it. In California they have beaten back several attempts over the last few years. Also a look at the various microbes that are being discovered that can eat plastic and the use and misuse of that would be interesting to see.

@lynnhettrick7588 3 года назад

Just sent this video to my state senator.

@angusosborne3151 3 года назад

Here in Canada we shipped containers of mostly garbage overseas. Eventually years later they started shipping them back. We probably just buried the container and all.

@emilyarchibald1900 3 года назад

Very good video!

@nicolemcwilliams3015 3 года назад

Remember you're going to have to go with state-by-state to find out how they handled cycling if they Handel's Ice Recycling and sometimes you have to do county-by-county in that state cuz there are certain counties that don't recycle in that state

@personwhosreal811 3 года назад

We should start rewiring companies to help pay for the recycling of the materials they produce.

@ryancruz1876 3 года назад

We should stop buying plastic products all together.

@garyfeng9528 2 года назад

How am i supposed to quote this for my research paper? It is REALLY useful

@fennwenn3317 3 года назад

I wonder how much an impact I'll make if I only buy glass-bottled items. There's not much of them, but it's better.

@gaillewis5472 3 года назад

When I was a kid, beverages were sold in either glass or aluminum containers. Now, only alcohol beverages are sold in either glass or aluminum. Paper milk cartons were only in schools, nothing was made of styrofoam and water came from the faucet or fountain. Plastic production IS the problem.

@ehkaspar 3 года назад

The arrow symbol on plastics isn't actually the recycling symbol, it's a "resin identification code" and I'm not just being pedantic, it was created by the plastics industry and it's just ever so slightly different which (intentionally?) misleads people into thinking all plastics are recyclable. It is indeed used to sort for recycling as stated in the video but it does not indicate that a given plastic item is, was or ever will be recyclable as many of us think. The logo actually been changed to just a triangle with no arrows to be less misleading but manufacturers aren't required to update so the arrows and confusion live on.

@free2binnh 3 года назад

Containers can be made from hemp, they break down in a short period of time and leaves petroleum in the ground where it belongs. Maine built this trash facility which separates recyclables from trash, at least now, people who refuse to recycle get their trash looked at for recyclables. I used to recycle, but now everything gets mangled all together in the trash bin. I wish recycling was still around, where everything was sorted and not mixed together.

@hojo70 3 года назад

The government needs to ban manufacturing and sales of single use plastics! This would go a tremendous way toward solving the problem.

@CatsOfMarrakech 3 года назад

we just need to use glass bottles that are refillable. it worked perfectly well for decades for soda.

@bledsoetx 3 года назад

They also used returnable bottles for beer, etc. before about the 50's. In fact, I remember that "long neck" beer bottles were returnable well into the 1970's as were coke bottles, etc.

@lynnhettrick7588 3 года назад

My state has a 5 cent deposit for aluminum cans, glass bottles, and some plastic soda/water bottles.

@MilnaAlen 3 года назад

I´m glad that Finland actually does well with recycling, but I´m sad that my apartment complex only has one bin for everything, and the nearest public recycling bins are 4 kilometres away, way too far to be worth it. I do recycle bottles and cans, clothing and anything dangerous like batteries and electronics. I mean glass and metal gets recycled anyway, it's just more work for the poor workers. And I hope it doesn't make much diffrence whether the paper is used to make recycled paper or burned for bioenergy.

@austinlewis4718 3 года назад

Does this mean we should throw the 3-7 plastics in the garbage vs recycling? Obviously not buying these plastics is ideal, but sometimes they slip through. Good video!

@Dudemon-1 3 года назад

Yes. Recycling started when we didn't have modern landfills that do a great job with handling waste. Now, in many places 3-7 go to the landfill anyway, so if you put them in the trash, you're saving sorting labor. But check locally.

@Fabdanc 3 года назад

My favorite example of how broken our recycling system is... trash bag manufactures creating "recycling bags" to put your recycling in knowing all well that the majority of recycling facilities cannot process plastic film, which may make a plant discard the entire batch or clog machinery. Another good one... people using a reusable shopping bag at the grocery store, but putting all their produce in individual plastic bags. Those limes you got, they came in their protective skin... I think they are okay to hang out next to your broccoli and zucchini in the same bag.

@itslikethesamebutdifferent8020 3 года назад

I lost hope of recycling in 2006 when i saw the movie the Uncomfortable Truth. In it was said that basically in order to have had any impact on our world, we had to have started recycling 50 yrs before. That there was little we can do now basically recycling wouldn’t have an impact. That clinched it for me.

@jonschmidt5112 3 года назад

Corporations have, frankly, been lying to us for 40-50 years about the viability of recycling plastics. So little plastic gets recycled and it is usually downcycled. We need national legislation (BFFPP has recently been introduced) that will hold producers accountable. We as consumers also need to be aware of the problem of plastics and adjust our lifestyles.

@ashleyburbank3129 3 года назад

We can't expect anyone to do anything, but we can reuse items on our own. I reuse plastic containers ( sugar container; ricotta container...ect ) also no heart break if it doesn't go home with you from big events. ☺ just seeing everyone seems to forget the ReUse part of recycle

@77stephani77 3 года назад

I agree with you, but we all need to demand better from these companies, if they don’t change stop buying their items.....companies have the money to change, should stop pushing it off on us the consumer...thx for video..

@marshabeatty6589 2 года назад

Yes I have a suggestion, if there was assistance ( kind of like going solar) to put water filtration systems in our homes so we wouldn’t have to buy bpa free plastic water bottles I would be the first in line. I think others would prefer that too. They are too expensive for me to do it myself

@mmorissette8687 3 года назад

The fundemental problem is that we use too much plastic, and too much single use plastic. Consumers have a huge impact on manufacturers: simply refuse using unrecycable products. In time, they will have to find alternative solutions. It is possible !

@solidaverage 3 года назад

And, very important, don’t forget your power as a voter! Ultimately this will require elected officials that are willing to stand up to business and enact hard regulations with real teeth.

@bledsoetx 3 года назад

@@solidaverage Which means the GOP is NOT the group to effect any change to how business operates.

@allyourcode 3 года назад

Important question not addressed here: why do companies love to use unrecyclable materials for their packaging and single use products? Is passing a law the only way to make them stop? Ideally, a superior material would be available. Then, you wouldn't need to force them to do anything; they'd rush to do it on their own. Maybe, such materials exist, but are not widely known, or companies are just used to what they've done before, and need a little push to try something different? Towns where I live have passed bans on single use plastic bags. I'm not really sure that this is working, because what stores have done is switch to a heavier "multiple use" bag, but I think most people do not actually reuse these (I started reusing those bags recently, and they really do work just fine). Theoretically, the old single use bags were recyclable, but you could not put them in your curb site recycling. Instead, you had to bring them to collection points. I think that they have since removed the collection points after the ban went into effect. Yes, ultimately, the solution is to stop producing unrecyclable materials. If the only way to do that is to ban such materials, then let's do it. But before we do that, let's try to understand why companies love them so much.

@davidalmeida2991 3 года назад

Great video, thank you so much! Like always, pressure has to be from the bottom up because politician are in bed with corporations. The People have to strike fear in their hearts about they loosing their jobs if they don’t do the right thing, and always stress the argument of job creation with the Green New Deal which includes a transition from fossil fuels to renewables but also stronger environmental laws